Thursday, August 30, 2012

Lisa Markson is the Winner!!! For some reason rafflecopter hates me and won't announce the winners.

This week I interviewed Brandie Buckwine. She writes amazing erotica. I'm a newbie in the erotica readership. I recently just started reading it. Yes it tickles my funny bone...but it's also engaging, take me away to another place reading. It's great for readers who need a quickie read. Pun intended. Most erotica that I have come across is relatively short and steamy. I interviewed her and she agreed to giveaway a book for this weeks special. We decided that FIGHTING FAITH would be perfect. I find that what helps one learn to love erotica is find a GOOD erotic writer and have a sense of humor. Life and sex doesn't need to be taken so seriously. Without further ado...meet Ms. Brandie Buckwine.

Eric’s band is on the verge of making the big time and life is good. But, when he’s forced to work with Faith, a sexy but hateful videographer, life for the foreseeable future might be a little rocky.

The tension between Eric and Faith is nearly tangible. Their troublesome friction abruptly becomes a lust-hate situation, fraught with vicious barbs and spite, but an explosive sexual chemistry that could burn them both, leaving nothing but a pile of ash in its wake. But Cupid has a wicked sense of humor and the two of them will find that the person you hate the most can sometimes rock your world the hardest.

This story contains scenes of dubious consent which some readers might find
objectionable. (see that warning...take heed. If you are sensative to that kind of thing. I can be. But now that I KNOW that it is there I can mentally prepare myself for it.)

Now for our interview:

LP: When did you decide to become a writer?

BB: I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision. I was
unemployed, depressed, and during that time, I spent quite a bit of time
daydreaming. Daydreaming has always been a preoccupation for me. As an only
child to parents who travelled and moved quite a bit, making up stories for my
own entertainment was the tool I chose to combat loneliness and boredom. When
faced with so much extra time on my hands as an adult, my daydreaming went into
high gear. All my stories were always very personal, but one day it clicked
that maybe more people than I thought might be interested to read them. I sat
at the computer and hammered out chapter 3 of my first novel. Nearly two years
later, I had chapter 1, 2, and the rest of the book. It’s a contemporary
fiction/romance I wrote under my own name, tfc Parks. To date, it’s my only
full length novel. Everything I write as Brandie Buckwine is novella length or
a short story.

LP: What drew you to writing erotica?

BB: After I finished my first novel, Rhythm In Blue, and it
sat with an agent for a year with no progress, I started investigating
self-publishing. Smashwords was the first site I found. Easily distracted from
the task at hand, I discovered they had all kinds of free books, many of them
erotic stories. I fell in love with the genre and decided I could do as well,
if not better, than many of the authors I found. Yes, my ego was a little
inflated. I’ve since discovered there are some really great authors of erotica,
and the competition is fierce.

LP: What is the toughest thing for erotica authors today?

BB: Erotica is a tough sell because, to many people, it’s
their ‘dirty little secret’. Unlike mainstream literature, readers of erotica
aren’t always willing to tell their friends about their favorite read. Word of
mouth is a huge aspect of promotion, and if people are afraid to talk, authors
lose that avenue. It’s harder to reach readers of erotica than many other
genres because of the secretive nature and shame factor for readers. For many
people, it’s hard to admit they enjoy a good romance, but a smutty romance? Oh
hell no.

LP: The mainstreaming of Fifty Shades of Grey…do you think
this hurt or helped the erotica genre?

BB: At first I thought it would help, but when a publisher
took over the marketing of the series, they dropped the erotica label and made
it more contemporary romance. I think many erotic authors are cleaning up their
books, taking out offensive words and coming up with creative euphemisms, to
compete in the mainstream romance market.

I do think Fifty Shades has made readers more open to the
erotic genre, but I don’t think it’s had the impact many of us hoped for.

LP: If you ever choose to write in another genre what would
it be? Why?

BB: It’s hard to say. I recently wrote a short story I would
classify as horror, but it was more of an experiment than anything else. But
hey, that’s how I ended up writing erotica. I wrote a short story as an
experiment, came up with a pen name, published it and gave it away (Crazy
Emma). I couldn’t believe how well it did. It went free on Amazon and it shot
up to the top three free erotic stories and stayed there for over three months.
It even spent a couple of weeks at number one. That little experiment has had
over 100,000 downloads in the past year.

I like to experiment and try new things with my writing. I
want to push the limits – see how far I can push a reader without losing them,
so I’m sure I’ll experiment with other genres to feed that urge.

LP: Can you tell us a little about yourself? I know you are
from the Midwest, as am I. (Iowa).Do
you think this influenced you to write your fantastic, funny and steamy
stories?

BB: You know, I’m not sure. Generally, I like to keep my
story locations generic. The only specific location I ever use is Greece. I
spent about eight years of my adolescence living on a Greek island, and it’s
the only place I go to any lengths to describe. When I set a story in Greece,
the location almost becomes another character in the story. I want to write
more of those.

As for the humor, moving around as much as I did growing up,
I was always the new kid in school, and I often relied on humor to break the
ice and make new friends. That, and I come from a long line of smartasses, and
family gatherings are always a contest of wit.

LP: I’m a relatively new reader of erotica is there anything
you want newbies or curious readers like myself to know about the genre?

BB: There are so many kinds of erotica out there, so many
sub genres… If you normally enjoy fantasy, you can find thousands of erotic
fantasy stories out there. Westerns, sci/fi, comedy. Take advantage of free
downloads and samples to get the feel for a story before you buy. If you find
an author you like, check out their other work. Find out who they read. If you
enjoy their work, chances are, you’ll enjoy many of the same authors they do,
and they’ll probably have a wide range of recommendations. And be willing to
take a chance on something you wouldn’t normally read. My favorite erotic
author writes about shapeshifters and aliens – both subjects I would normally
avoid, but her writing pulled me in, and now I can’t get enough of the stuff!

Thank you Lori for such great questions!

I would love to thank Brandie for such great and honest answers!!! She rocks!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I often get asked to recommend zombie books. (gee I wonder why?) While I am not as well versed in main stream zombie books as the Bookish Brunette (she is the Zombie Queen, ya know?). I have read some amazingly epic zombie reads. Both traditionally published and indie. I thought I would put up this quick guide to some great z books.

Zombie Apocalypse: These are the books in which the zombies are every where. Every turn. Lurking in the background and free to eat brains. The order I list these has no bearing whatsoever on my feelings for the book btw. Also I realize some are not traditional zombie tales ie Enclave and The Other Life...Zombie really is a general term that sorta includes all of these books.

Monday, August 27, 2012

From Goodreads: Life for Kansas was perfect until the day the world changed.

She has been hiding out for four years in solitude. It's the only way to survive. The only way not to draw the living dead. Helping a small group of people, she learns the new world might not be what she assumes. Venturing out of her refuge and comfort zone, she meets Rudy, who helps her find a greater purpose. She realizes that the world has moved on without her. Only it's not what she expects. Her knowledge of the living dead grows and only makes her more curious as humanity continues to hang on by a thread. While on her search for answers she finds comfort in new friendships and love, but her past seems as if it will haunt her forever.

Kansas takes it upon herself to help other survivors, which would be easy if the famished were the only obstacles.

In a trilogy plot thick with twists and turns, this adult dark fantasy is emotional as much as it is horrifyingly gripping.

Hey everyone welcome to my stop on the Taking on the Dead release celebration. I pestered Annie until she agreed to do an interview. Here it is!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Annie Walls is Taking on the Dead!

Let’s get the" get to know you stuff" out of the way!

LP: Why did you decide to become a writer?

AW: I didn’t really become a writer, I think I was born this
way. I was always good writing papers, stories, and reading. I didn’t decide to
publish anything until after I wrote Taking on the Dead.

LP: Who inspires you?

AW: Not a matter of who, but what...everything inspires me.
People watching, the way my son plays video games with his tongue hanging out,
a dog barking at leaves blowing across a yard... lol.

LP: Is horror your favorite genre?

AW: Hands down, without a doubt, but I like a little bit of
everything.

LP: Do you listen to music while you write? Do you have
certain genre that you prefer to listen to?

AW: I do listen to music. The genre depends on my mood. I
have a playlist for every book in the Famished Trilogy, as well as my work in
progress.

LP: What is the biggest challenge out there for authors
these days?

AW: Coming up with new and original ideas to write about.
It’s all been done.

LP: If the zom poc happens do you have a list of people that
you hope become zombies so you can umm take them out?

AW: I’ll have you know I laughed out loud at this question
for a long time. Yes, I do, starting with the crossing guard at my son’s
school. Writer’s take their frustrations out on characters...it’s very
therapeutic. I can’t tell you how many one page short stories I have on a flash
drive killing someone off (One is about a crossing guard that tried to save a
kid from getting run over, fails, and the kid comes back to haunt him. In the
end, it’s all in his mind). Yeah, original. I should make an anthology. <~~
sarcasm.

LP: A Velociraptor and a zombie get in a fight. Who wins?
Keep in mind that the makers of Jurassic Park have them completely wrong. They
are actually quite small.

AW: Depends on the zombie. If the zombie is slow and
shambling, it wouldn’t really have a chance. If the zombie is faster, more spry
and agile...then I would pay to see what would happen.

LP: Would you rather be eaten by a zombie, werewolf, vampire
or go to a Justin Bieber concert?

AW: Um, vampire. Maybe I would get lucky and the bite would
be orgasmic. Definitely the best way to go.

LP: What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

AW: Contemporary Romance. I love that stuff, and just
recently started reading it. Although, I have to weave through nine bad ones to
find one good one.

LP: What is up next? Any new project ideas for when The
Famished Trilogy wraps up?

AW: I have another series in the works! This one will be
four or five books. I won’t know until the first is completed how far I’ll want
to take it. Another dark fantasy, yes. I like my gory horror, action, and
romance mixed into one. I delve into psychic's in this one. I get to it every
now and then, but I won’t be able to really go with it until I’m done revising
Living with the Dead, The Famished Book Three.

I've been thinking. Mostly bad bad thoughts....It was all brought on by this Post by fiktshun.
Actually that and some comments made by a person looking at my blog and a facebook convo I had with a fellow blogger about reading funks. To be honest with you. I have been feeling super overwhelmed. When I feel overwhelmed I shut down. Seriously, I just stop. I don't want to do that to you guys and gals. I don't want to suddenly drop off the face of the blog universe. Why? Well because I like you peeps. I like you a lot. The month of August has been hell on my reading schedule and on this blog. I decided I could do 3 beta projects, fulfill part of the application to be an intern at Spencer Hill Publishing (I didn't get it) and go on vacation all within a two week time period. Needless to say...it was impossible and I am still working on one of the beta projects. I stressed myself out so bad that I spent days on end with massive headaches. I just can't do that anymore. This is supposed to be fun. But I was pushing myself to try be a big name in blogging. Really though...I don't think I am big time blog material. I am way too blunt and obviously cater to indies and LOVE my authors so much that I will drop anything for them. Not that those ladies and gents don't do that. But they also review a lot more mainstream books than I do. For now....
I am going to stop taking review requests (not like I get a ton...but I do get some). I don't know if Kami is still accepting them but it wouldn't hurt to try her. I've had some awesome experiences with book requests but I feel like I am failing the author if I can't get the book read in a week, two weeks, a month...(I'm pretty sure that is what my waiting period is right now). It's unfair to the authors when they probably don't have to wait that long for an established and bigger blog to read their book. I don't ever want an author to have a bad experience here. EVER.

Before you panic...I will always make time for some very special authors....they should know who they are. If you are unsure facebook message me and I will put you at ease. :D

I'm going to focus on reading my massive to be read pile and my beta projects. I am going to stop signing up for every bleeding blog tour that BB gets. (BB= the Bookish Brunette, I don't know if you guys pay attention to all the buttons over here ------------------------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
you should...great blogs and authors over there. I have some up coming blog tours and most of them are through Bookish Brunettes Blog Tours. Yep, I'm one of her tour hosts...shhhayywin). I need to sign up for tours that I realistically have time for. I don't have time to read every single book in the world (which makes me want to cry like a baby). Due to my daycare income being unreliable (apparently paying me is occasionally optional? I guess?), and decreasing hours (schools back in = less hours) I have to pick up more hours at my other job. Yay :(. Which means less snuggle time with Maria and less reading time. It also means the budget I have for books, giveaways and this blog is going bye bye. (No worries I'm still having the huge bash in October). However, I had some big plans for us. I was hoping to buy a sweet premade template for the blog from Parajunkee. I wanted to get a domain name. I wanted to expand and expand and expand. I'm like the Brain...I was planning on taking over the blogging world. LOL. However after some deep thought I have decided. That I don't need all of that.

I've realized that I am ok with being a tiny baby blog. I don't need 600+ followers, and a million page views to make me a happy blogger. I've made some awesome friendships, and have some great new book pals. I love doing this. I really do. I love sharing my love of books with you all. I hope that I entertain you and inspire you to read books that you might not have given a chance before. Anyway, I hope I made a point here. I think I did. Who knows it's 230 am. Happy trails...and sunshine snails... or something. Here's a unicorn and a taco....

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Veiled Secrets

by Marylynn Bast

Blurb:

Seriana Aphenithea,
Princess of the Light Realm has been banned. Why? She can’t remember.She must find her way, and her memories, if
she is ever to return home.

Waking with no
memory of who or where she is, Seriana runs for her life when two beings chase
her through the forest.Glowing eyes
starts out at her through the darkness.Sending mental call for help and in response, two wolves emerge.

While protecting
her from the hunters who intend to do her harm, one of the wolves becomes
fatally injured.Acting on instinct,
Seriana merges her energies with his, saving his life.Connecting her mentally o the human the wolf
shifted into.Adam and Blake are
werewolves.Surprisingly this does not
scare her.In fact, it triggers the
beginning of her memories.She has been
to the earth realm before.

With her no longer
allowed to enter her own realm, Seriana must find a way to safeguard her family
in the Loxy Realm and on earth.She has
to protect those around her by ensuring no one discovers out her Veiled
Secrets.

MaryLynn Bast moved to Las Vegas in
2012 from Texas, where she grew up. She works as a consultant with a contractor
for the US Military, traveling from base to base across the US and around the
world. Whenever possible, MaryLynn enjoys spending time with her husband,
children and friends. In her free time she writes paranormal fantasies, loves
to read and travel.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Werewolf Bound

by Marylynn Bast

Adam Channing knows
the rules…during the Full Moon Phase- DON’T GO IN THE WOODS.Yet, he can’t ignore the call of a young
female werewolf Patricia DuFur.He knows
it’s agains pack rules, but can’t resist the temptation and faces the
consequences when three brothers attach and leave him to die.

With Blake as a
friend, he is well on is way to learning the ways of being a werewolf.Adam is constantly in a state of change when
he receives the gift of “Seer”. His life takes a whole new meaning out in the
forest.

MaryLynn Bast moved to Las Vegas in
2012 from Texas, where she grew up. She works as a consultant with a contractor
for the US Military, traveling from base to base across the US and around the
world. Whenever possible, MaryLynn enjoys spending time with her husband,
children and friends. In her free time she writes paranormal fantasies, loves
to read and travel.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Escaping Dominance

by Marylynn Bast

﻿

Blurb:

After losing her
parents at seven years old, Trina is forced to live with family who don’t want
her. Ignored and feeling unloved, she turns to the person she cares for
most. Deeply in love, she expects to be claimed as Dean’s mate when she
makes her first shift into her werewolf form.

Everything goes from bad to worse
and her plans of making a life outside the pack are gone. After years of
dealing with abuse, Trina realizes her son’s well-being is in danger. She takes
Toby and goes into hiding. By chance Trina meets Amber who has been on the run
all her life. Suddenly Dean shows up, she must decide, go back to the pack or
continue running. Once again, she looks to someone else for help.

Trina knows she has to stop relying
on others to take care of her. She must stand up and fight for her freedom or
there will be no way of ESCAPING DOMINANCE.

MaryLynn Bast moved to Las Vegas in
2012 from Texas, where she grew up. She works as a consultant with a contractor
for the US Military, traveling from base to base across the US and around the
world. Whenever possible, MaryLynn enjoys spending time with her husband,
children and friends. In her free time she writes paranormal fantasies, loves
to read and travel.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I'm back for round two with this baby!!! My final star rating? 5 HUGE Stars!!!*****!!!

I know I know my first review lacked my normal sparkle. To be honest guys I've been feeling down in the dumps. I realized today that I have not finished more than 2 or 3 books this WHOLE month. Unacceptable. Ugh. I'm not even talking about the fucking amazeballs book!!! It is amazeballs.

I had some super awesome quotes and shit picked out for this part of the review but I left my kindle in the bedroom. Right next to the sleeping baby (she's really 2). Yeah, Momma is not going there. So suffer with me as I talk about this book as a whole. As a matter of fact disregard my first part review altogether.

Short refresher synopsis. Wool follows the lives of a key group of people as they live their lives in a silo. It's billed as post apocalyptic. While it is indeed that. It does not have the sweeping dead cities that we have come to expect in our normal apocalypse novels. This is the omnibus edition. Which I suggest you go out and buy. Like now. Don't dick around with the individual episodes, ya wankers. Go for the whole taco.

The writing is blow me away I'm in another world heaven. It was good. Like crack...only I've never tried crack...so it was good like chocolate. Only there are no nasty side affects from reading this. Unless of course, you consider thinking a nasty side affect. Is it effects or affects here? My brain doesn't know. Oh well, you get my drift ya grammar Nazis.
The plot twists and turns and throws everything out the window. It's kinda like a Rhiannon Frater novel. Your riding along in your happy little dark world and then shit hits the fan. Much like Rhiannon's work the ending is very umm loose and leaves A LOT to the imagination of the readers. Ugh. Yay. Ugh. Maybe. Howey says at the back of the book that this is not the end. Well, I certainly hope not.

Just by chance you are wondering this book has nothing to do with literal wool. It's the figurative kind...you know the saying.

The characters. Were they super 3D? No. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some complex humans in this book. Juliette being the star of the show. I think I found the villain lacking complexity the most. He had one moment...one single moment where he got deep. It came late, too late.

The setting was the most complex of all of the characters in the book. Yes, setting can be a character. At least to me. If the world built in the book doesn't speak to me then I'm done. I can't stand cardboard cut out props in novels. There are no worries here. The scenery never changes. Even when it changes it doesn't. (Just read the dang book, it will make sense then). By mid way through I had a real bad case of cabin fever. I cannot imagine living in that damn silo. I hate stairs. No, it's not because I lack *ahem* fitness. I'm actually afraid of them. Every night before falling asleep I have an image of myself falling down the stairs of my apartment. It's creepy. So the thought of having so many stairs it takes DAYS to travel from top to bottom. Yeah, that scares me.
The setting in many ways reminded me of STARGATE UNIVERSE. Yes, I watched that show. Or for all us bookish folks ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis. I love the idea of these broken ancient (technically anything over 150 years old) things that take human ingenuity and cooperation to keep afloat. At the same time I fear being stuck on something like that.

Overall I am really glad that I picked this omnibus up. It was definitely worth the $6 dollars and days I spent reading it. I highly recommend it.

Well it's a little later than I wanted to do it today. I swear I need to make a schedule so I stop falling behind.

Last night I was part of a page promo on facebook and I made an awesome new indie contact. We all know how much I love making those. So I thought I would pimp her work today!!!

Everyone say Hello to Julie Cassar

She writes about Fairies and Hot Boys...Score!!!

I have not read her books yet but I am super excited to do so!!! While you're busy holding your breath for my reviews check them out!

Meet Ruby. She’s your average (somewhat dorky) ice-cream eating, garden-loving teenager, who is constantly being annoyed by her little brother, is best friends with possibly the only Goth kid in town and, oh yeah…she sees fairies.

After Nick Martino (possibly the hottest guy she’s ever known) finally asks her out, she can barely manage a two-word sentence when a bizarre incident strikes their lakeside town.Stumbling bare-foot through some interesting dates, will she ever find love? And what does Ruby do when more strange events continue to occur? Will she keep her gift of Fairy Sight a secret? As an ancient myth unfolds and new mystic fairy tales come to life, Ruby and her menagerie of friends tackle some extraordinary circumstances with her very ordinary abilities in this modern day fairy tale. See what legends come to life in “Ruby Blue,” a young adult fantasy fiction novel and the first installment of the Ruby Blue series.

Ruby's back with her fairy friends and this time, she stumbles upon some of the mysteries of the Water Court. Now, being pursued by an unknown force, Ruby's fairy friends step in to protect her. However, trouble seems to follow Ruby around every corner and even her fairy guardians need to call in reinforcements...but at what cost? Faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, Ruby must decide if and how she will help out her fairy friends. Will she pledge her allegiance to the Earthen Court? Or will she find new comfort and protection in the Water Court? Become entangled and entranced in Ruby's latest adventure and relive the magic in "Deja Blue," the second installment of the Ruby Blue Series

From Goodreads:
This Omnibus Edition collects the five Wool books into a single volume. It is for those who arrived late to the party and who wish to save a dollar or two while picking up the same stories in a single package.

The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months. My thanks go out to those reviewers who clamored for more. Without you, none of this would exist. Your demand created this as much as I did.

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

Lori's Review: The First 50% 4 StarsNo I am not done with this yet. Don't get your panties in a twist. It's a wonderful and engaging read. I'm just barely at 54%. This omnibus edition is 500+ pages. So, I am splitting my review in half.

THE FIRST HALF! Is simply amazing. If you are looking for a sweeping landscape of ruined cities. It's not here. Well kinda. But it's background. The residents of this story live and die in the silo. A deep well of a building that is completely underground. I would be lying if I didn't say by the time I hit 50% I was feeling extremely confined. Everytime they had to go up and down the 140+ floors I would feel more and more shut in. I can't imagine living in such a home. The highlight of the book so far is Juliette. I adore her. She's a tough, smart and capable lead character. I live to see her name in the pages. The POV's do change but it's not confusing and is helpful. It helps the reader get the whole view. This book is like a crime novel. If you enjoy a whodunit and mystery with your apocolypse then this book is for you. I'm not the end and I have a few guesses about where this is leading. I look forward to seeing if I am right. Now off to the last 46%. I am literally on the edge of my seat and have been staying up waaay past my bedtime!

A Justified Kill

by Marylynn Bast

Synopsis:

Amber will go to any lengths to avoid the werewolf council
who hunts her – even leaving behind the one person she cares for the most.
Traveling across the US, she avoids other packs and remains on the run by
working in backwoods bars.

Always alone, she never gets involved. One day she overhears
a conversation by one of the bars patrons.With her senses on high alert, Amber cannot ignore the warning signs.
Following the man to his campsite, she finds out why.

Amber must decide if she can allow herself to be drawn in to
rescue the person being held hostage. Or should she stick by her rules of not
getting involved? With the impending first shift to werewolf, her bloodlust
will take over. Can she go against her personal rule of not killing a human,
and if so, would it be A JUSTIFIED KILL?

MaryLynn Bast moved to Las Vegas in
2012 from Texas, where she grew up. She works as a consultant with a contractor
for the US Military, traveling from base to base across the US and around the
world. Whenever possible, MaryLynn enjoys spending time with her husband,
children and friends. In her free time she writes paranormal fantasies, loves
to read and travel.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Erotica usually tickles my funny bone. I spend more time LOL-ing during erotic scenes than anything else. I'm just not that into sexy times in books. Am I frigid? Maybe. I don't know. I do know that I am for freedom of expression. In everything. If you and your lover like to get kinky...don't tell me about it. Really, don't. Not unless you want to suffer through a bout of Lori giggles. This might be what sent me to YA. There is not a ton of sexy times. It's mostly butterflies. You get the lead up without the dirty deets. I'm ok with that.

I do like some erotica. I have an obsession with monsterporn. It's fucking nasty and hilarious. What can I say it's grown on me. I also adore Delilah Fawkes and Brandie Buckwine. They are classy smut slingers.

So what brought on this post. Well I read something on facebook by a person who can't "like" erotic authors/books because she works and writes books about sexual abuse. Before I sound like a hateful bigot let me acknowledge that erotica is probably a personal trigger for her. I get that.

However, I have seen many others that seem to link erotica with abusive relationships.

I just feel like I need to clear something up for those of us who like, and the authors who write erotica.

EROTICA does not equal ABUSE. In any form of the art. BDSM is not ABUSE. If it is consensual then it just can't be. I'm sorry I know not everyone agrees with this but it's true. If you were to poll most submissive male and female's in BDSM relationships they would not claim to be abused. Because they aren't. This lifestyle is not Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm sorry Fifty fans but you are being lied to. I don't think Ana can be called a true submissive until the 3rd book. She fights it too much in book 1 and 2. Before I lose myself in another Fifty Shades tirade I am going to bring myself in.

Sorry for the rant but I thought I would add my support to those writers who portray different sexual lifestyles in a honest, and fun way.

From Goodreads:Kassandra Cole has it all—a stable home with great parents, popularity and all the friends she could ever need. She is used to a lifestyle where everything comes easy to her, from good grades to being captain of the cheerleading squad.

Her entire world is shaken to the core when a fatal accident takes her father, causing Kassandra to re-examine the course her life was on. The actions of one individual forever changes her life, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her broken family. Kassandra begins to question everything she once cherished and the people she disappointed along the way.

Maddon Johnson’s life is as different from Kassandra’s as night and day. Abandoned by his mother at a young age, he is left to deal with his abusive, alcoholic father on his own. He has one goal: lay low and get the heck out of dodge as soon as he is legally old enough.

Everything changes when his father’s tragic actions send Maddon crashing into Kassandra’s world. Suddenly, getting away is the last thing he wants as he discovers it is possible to believe in love after all.

The Vampire Bride Series

by Rhiannon Frater

I love love love this series. These new covers by Phatpuppy are AMAZING!!! I love them. Megan Young is Beautiful. The perfect Glynis. I am so buying autographed copies of all these books and sending them to Megan to get them signed by her too! Cuz I'm a super stalker like that.

Here's this dish straight from Rhiannon....why? Because she's the writer. I'm just a fangirl!

The History of the Series The Vampire Bride series was born out of a dream I had in 1996. I originally wrote most of the novel in first person, but was bothered by the intimacy of the viewpoint, so rewrote it in third person. That didn't work either, so I set it aside until 2005. I again rewrote the novel, this time in first person and finally finished the last ten chapters, completing the manuscript. A small press had been interested in the series, but it closed before I finished the novel. Though I was very successful selling the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy when I self-published, I discovered that self-publishing a vampire novel would be a lot more difficult. I had self-published PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES, but had a lot of difficulty finding reviewers willing to read an Indie Author. I approached a friend who ran a small press and he ended up publishing The Tale of the Vampire Bride under his imprint Library of Horror Press. Sadly, I still had difficulty finding reviewers and it would take a long time for The Vampire Bride series to find its audience.

I ended up self-publishing the sequel to the first book myself and just a few months ago the rights to the first book were returned to me. Though there is a small and very ardent fandom for the novels, I'm hoping to reach out to a much wider audience now that scary vampires are back in vogue thanks to True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.

To do that, I realized the covers needed to change.

The History of the Covers The first cover for The Tale of the Vampire Bride was done by Detra. He created the original covers for the self-published versions of the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy. Because those covers received such high praise, I commissioned him for my gothic horror novel. Though I loved the goth feel of the cover, it was heavily maligned by reviewers on amazon and other sites. In fact, a few people said they almost didn't read the book because of the cover. So I asked Philip Rogers, who had done the AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES covers to redo the first book and create the second. Again, I loved the new covers and thought they both beautifully portrayed the gothic horror feel of the novels, but again there was a lot of negative comments made about the artwork.

I realized that though The Vampire Bride Series is gothic horror, it was being read by many PNR/UF fans as well. Most covers in those two genres are photo manipulations/digital painting. After long discussions with some blogger friends, my husband, and some readers, I decided to redo the covers again, this time utilizing Claudia McKinney of Phat Puppy Art. She suggested that I do an original photoshoot for the covers so that the look would be wholly original and not resemble other covers. My friend Helena Cruz was the photographer on the shoot and my fan (now friend) Megan Young posed as Glynis. Claudia did an amazing job taking those photos and making them into truly beautiful new covers. The new covers will be going live on August 20th for the ebook formats.

Interior Formatting Overhaul Kody Boye is doing a complete overhaul of the interior of the paperback book. We decided we wanted to go for a very old world/gothic horror feel. So far it's GORGEOUS. Since ebooks have become so popular because of the lower price, we want to make the trade paperbacks extra special.

Future of the Series At this time the series is open-ended. I have at least six ideas bumping around in my head. The series is a period piece, so it entails a lot of research. I'm trying to release a book every other year in this series, if it is possible depending on my contractual obligations to Tor and other publishers. I plan to retain full rights to the series for the time being.

The Next Novel THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE will be released next year. I plan to write it during November/December. The cover by Claudia McKinney is already done and it's beautiful. I plan to do a cover reveal for that cover closer to its publication date in 2013 and hope to have a blog tour for it as well.